Once again I must take exception to being labelled as "slow-growth." I ran on a platform of responsible growth, smart growth, or planned growth -- growth that is compatible with surroundings, respects the environment, and has appropriate infrastructure in place.

Nicole Stewart's platform, if you check her campaign web site, also talked about growth in Raleigh "straining our natural resources." So having me serve on the Growth & Natural Resources Committee is not necessarily going to have "ramifications down the line."

I'd also like to know what is considered the opposite of "slow-growth" -- is it "fast growth" -- and what does that imply?

Admittedly I am new to politics, but I am confounded and disappointed that both the N&O and the IndyWeek continue to advance this "slow-growth" narrative, seemingly in the interests of stirring up controversy and dissension.

The current Council was sworn in just over a week ago. How about giving us some time to coalesce as a governing body under the leadership of Mayor McFarlane? And how about giving us the benefit of the doubt on "slow growth" versus "fast growth" until you see some results. At our first council meeting we actually approved a number of zoning requests that certainly belie a "slow growth" label.

Fine work, Mr. Billman. Your readers are probably aware that most of the NC conservative shenanigans can be laid at Art Pope's feet. Jane Mayer referenced Indy in her excellent 2011 New Yorker article "State For Sale".

I have very little patience for the empty-headed Pro-poison crowd, which is begging the government to take everyones rights away (including their own...and theyre too stupid to know it). For the record, vaccines are a medical procedure, and no, medical procedures should never be mandated, dummy. And for immune-compromised kids who doctors often vaccinate anyway, maybe theyre the ones who should stay home from school and out of public places if communicable illnesses could severely harm or kill them...because there are way more viruses and bacteria that we dont vaccinate against than those we do (and many vaccines arent even designed to prevent infection or transmission of illnesses, so the immune-compromised are not being protected by others who are vaccinated). To be blunt, force vaccinating kids on the basis of corporate Scientism is medically sanctioned child abuse and shouldnt be allowed.

And I'm just getting started- What do you think of a society that ritualizes placing its babies -their most vulnerable, new lives- on a table to be stabbed and injected with multiple needles containing myriad highly toxic ingredients never studied in totality? I dare any of you to receive the amount per body-weight that babies receive.
Please think outside the hypnotic story that billions of dollars have woven around you. If you don't wake up now, you won't have a choice later. Mark my words.

Genetics do not cause autism. Humans have genetic differences that react to viruses and vaccines at different rates. Somali populations have babies expressing ASD at a rate of 1 in 26. African-Americans have babies expressing ASD at 1 in 48. An caucasian babies express autistic spectrum disorder at a rate of 1 in 68.
Vaccine damage is an alarming epidemic with higher rates of damage than any virus in the US. Autistic children have an average lifespan of 54years. With ASD with cognitive difficulties that age drops to 40. Autism is not the only health problem associated with vaccine damage.

Researchers in their infinite wisdom have yet to do a single double blind study with a true placebo control group with all of the ingredients in a single vaccine.

Instead, they take 1 ingredient for a study. That is ridiculous science.

The FDA set the daily aluminum IV threshold to 25mcg per day for adults. For an 8lb newborn baby that limit would be 18.16mcg. This is based on blood and urine studies that claim that aluminum is eliminated from the body through our urine. Take however that vaccines contain Polysorbate 80 an elmusifier used to coat brain chemotherapy drugs to get them to cross the blood brain barrier. Polysorbate 80 is used to transport many drugs past the blood brain barrier and is added to vaccines as an emulsifier.

Newborns, moments after their first breath, are injected with 100mcg of aluminum in their Vitamin K injection and 235-250mcg in their Hepatitis B vaccine.

Aluminum is a known neurotoxin that stores in the brain and bones. 335mcg -350mcg are amounts toxic to a 350lb man per the FDA.

At the 2 month visit per the CDC schedule this same infant will receive 1000mcg of neurotoxic aluminum.

At the 4 month visit per the CDC schedule this tiny baby will receive another 1000mcg of neurotoxic aluminum.

At the 6 month "well check" visit this baby will receive another 1000mcg of aluminum.

Meanwhile, the autism connection is FAR FROM SETTLED for anyone other than a lemming simpleton. I expect better from the Indy, which stands for Independent, right? Apply your name to your journalism- please break free from what you've been spoon-fed by corrupt big pharma and their extraordinarily powerful lobby, bigger than big oil lobby. Do some real research, please.

It is ludicrous to *believe* that the unvaccinated pose a threat to anyone. It's DANGEROUS to rile up antagonism against a group of people who are minding their own bodily business, legally and wisely.

In fact, the unvaccinated are much healthier than the vaccinated because their immune systems have not been assaulted with dirty, unstudied vaccines. Show me a double-blind, true, saline-placebo controlled study on one vaccine much less in combinations given before you dare tell me vaccines are safe. Anyone who believes this article has swallowed big pharma propaganda for their Products (we all know how honest and uncorrupted big pharma is, aye?), and is quite frankly not an objective, unbiased thinker.

All live virus vaccines contain LIVE viruses. They may be weakened but they can still replicate in the right environment and infect both the vaccinated and "shed" to people around them for weeks after the vaccine is given.

Additionally, the Dtap/Tdap and Polio vaccines that are NOT live have been shown to cause the vaccinated to become asymptomatic carriers whenever exposed, thus the vaccinated can be spreading the illness without knowing at any time:

The polio vaccine does not stop transmission of the virus. & when a person immunized with IPV is infected with wild poliovirus, the virus can still multiply inside the intestines and be shed in the feces, risking continued circulation. http://polioeradication.org/polio-today/po…

You can also find that most medical facilities are aware of this. Johns Hopkins and St. Jude hospitals are just a few of many who post precautions for recently vaccinated visitors.
Science shows that it's the vaccinated that are at a higher risk of infections and spreading the illnesses because they are routinely injected with them. Be aware of the infection and carrier risk each vaccine has when making your choice- AND take care when around the immune compromised if you have been recently vaccinated or around someone with the illnesses even if you don't show symptoms.

Surprised you didn't mention the venue's all-too-brief existance as "305 South", an excellent arts, clothing, crafts, and music space hobbled and ultimately killed by not having enough bathroom space. Please check that out and add it to your great story.

This story is all over the place. Starts off with media interviews in a parking lot, dabbles in legal strategy and court proceedings, and ends with playful banter over choosing what music to listen to. You almost forget the title of the story states "switched legal strategies". It states Acosta "withdrew" his petition for asylum because he all but knew he was gonna lose based off the statistics of that particular judge. Yet they file complaints against Attorney Smallwood. Seems at every turn the judge was questioning these choices too. So which is it? He was gonna lose because of the judge being so hardline or the past attorney? Seems like its the old lets see what sticks strategy. Attorney Guirguis probably doesn't want to lose and apparently seems fine with throwing a fellow attorney under the bus, all in the name of strategy. Does Indyweek have copies of these complaints or proof that they were actually filed? Why not share a redacted copy of said complaint if you are willing to write about it. States they were provided the complaint by a third party "Alerta Migratoria NC", seems a little fishy. This group doesn't appear to be registered or licensed as a non-profit yet they raise money and pay themselves stipends. Is that even legal? Where is the responsible reporting? Publishing about a complaint against an attorney given to Indyweek by a pseudo non-profit third-party, seems dangerously close to libel.